The feasibility study demonstrated that the iMASC could be worn comfortably for 15 minutes with the hope that it could worn for the duration of a typical hospital shift. To this end, they used 3D modeling to evaluate how the iMASC might fit on different wearers and how much force would be required to keep the mask secure on a range of face shapes and sizes. Traverso’s team designed the iMASC to be comfortable to wear for long periods of time. The iMASC was Built for ComfortĪs some health care workers have complained of the traditional N95 mask’s comfort, Dr. Participants scored the breathability of the iMASC system as “excellent” (9 participants), “good” (10 participants) or “fair” (1 participant). The study also tested the iMASC’s breathability. Healthcare workers with facial hair were excluded from enrollment.Īll 20 study participants passed their fit test and were also able to successfully replace the filter into the mask, resulting in a 100 percent success rate for both fit testing and filter exchange. The average age of the 20 male and female participants who completed the study was 41 years (range of 21 to 65 years) with an average body mass index of 26.5 kg/m 2. The team’s feasibility study used an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)-approved testing method to evaluate the iMASC’s fit on physicians, nurses and technicians at the Brigham. The lab also collaborated with industry partners to build a dog-like robot that facilitates contactless evaluation of COVID-positive patients.įeasibility Study Evaluated the Innovative Face Mask The interdisciplinary team of engineers, scientists and physicians in the Traverso Lab recently invented a system for ventilator splitting, which published in the June issue of Science Translational Medicine. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the biomedical research lab of Giovanni Traverso, MB, BChir, PhD has been developing innovative and sustainable solutions to protect health care workers on the front lines. Recent Innovations in the Fight Against COVID-19 “We recognized that we were privileged to have a talented team of individuals from many backgrounds as well as the access, facilities and industry partnerships to bring innovative solutions to bear on this public health challenge.” Traverso, a gastroenterologist in the Brigham’s Division of Gastroenterology and a biomedical engineer at MIT. “When the pandemic began, everyone in our group had this urge to help,” says Dr. Traverso and his colleagues, including co-lead authors James Byrne, MD, PhD, and Adam Wentworth, MS, worked closely with bioengineers and clinical experts at the Brigham and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). However, a recent single-arm feasibility study in BMJ Open showed that the iMASC system could fit faces of different sizes and shapes and be easily sterilized for reuse. Known as the Injection Molded Autoclavable, Scalable, Comfortable (iMASC) system, the N95-comparable face mask is still in its prototyping stage. The Injection Molded Autoclavable, Scalable, Comfortable (iMASC) system developed by bioengineers and clinicians at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.Īt Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the biomedical research lab of Giovanni Traverso, MB, BChir, PhD recently developed a new reusable, scalable alternative to N95 masks, which have been in short supply within healthcare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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